1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide fastener and more particularly to a separable type of slide fastener having a separable terminal assembly.
2. Prior Art
A separable terminal assembly (normally referred to as separable bottom end stop) of a separable slide fastener comprises a box-like retainer or socket mounted on one stringer tape at one end thereof, and a separable pin mounted on the other stringer tape at one end thereof and releasably engageable with the socket for interconnecting the two stringer tapes. The separable pin is of a generally tube-like element and normally separated by configuration into two types, one being a substantially straight or slightly curved separable pin and the other being a doglegged or angularly bent separable pin.
A disadvantage of the substantially straight separable pin proposed heretofore lies in the difficulty of its insertion into and extraction from a mating socket with a slider positioned next to the separable terminal assembly. A muscular effort is necessary since the straight pin, as is moved along a bent channel defined jointly by the slider and the socket, abuts against interior walls of the slider and the socket. The doglegged separable pin is disadvantageous in that while the pin is inserted into or removed from the socket through the slider, a corner portion of its dogleg shape impinges against the interior walls of the slider, thus hindering a smooth movement of the pin. Further, the doglegged separable pin is likely to accidentally separate from the socket when a pull in opposite directions is exerted on the stringer tapes. For production, the doglegged pin requires a bending process which would cause the difficulty of reducing the manfacturing cost and maintaining a uniform quality in mass production. A drawback common to both types of separable pin is in that during insertion and removal of the separable pin, the endmost coupling element located next to the separable pin is thrusted by the sidewall of a slider's guide post, in a lateral direction away from the slider. The stringer tape tends to become ruptured at its longitudinal edge that has been stretched by such thrusted endmost coupling element, rendering the fastener useless.